1. Field of the Invention
Exemplary aspects of the present invention relates to a lubricant application device, a process cartridge, and an image forming apparatus, and more particularly, to a lubricant application device, a process cartridge, and an image forming apparatus for preventing a lubricant from scattering and efficiently applying the lubricant.
2. Description of the Related Art
A related-art image forming apparatus, such as a copying machine, a facsimile machine, a printer, or a multifunction printer having two or more of copying, printing, scanning, and facsimile functions, forms a toner image on a recording medium (e.g., a sheet) according to image data by electrophotography. For example, a charger charges a surface of a photoconductor. An optical writer emits a light beam onto the charged surface of the photoconductor to form an electrostatic latent image on the photoconductor according to the image data. A developing device develops the electrostatic latent image with a developer (e.g., toner) to form a toner image on the photoconductor. The toner image is transferred from the photoconductor onto a sheet via an intermediate transfer belt. A cleaner (e.g., a cleaning blade) cleans the surface of the photoconductor after the toner image is transferred from the photoconductor. A fixing device applies heat and pressure to the sheet bearing the toner image to fix the toner image on the sheet. Thus, the toner image is formed on the sheet.
Before the cleaning blade cleans the surface of the photoconductor, a lubricant is applied to the photoconductor. Insufficient application of the lubricant causes filming of the photoconductor and wear of the cleaning blade. Further, removal of polymerized toner or toner having a toner particle diameter of about 6 μm or smaller is difficult, and in order to aid removal by the cleaning blade the toner includes particulate silica having a large particle diameter of from about 80 nm to about 350 nm.
An accumulation of silica in an edge portion of the cleaning blade prevents the toner from slipping through the cleaning blade. However, filming of the photoconductor and abnormal wear of the cleaning blade may occur as a result. Therefore, the lubricant needs to be applied to the photoconductor in order to prevent the filming of the photoconductor and abnormal wear on the cleaning blade due to the silica.
As a lubricant application method, application of a solid lubricant to the photoconductor via a rotating brush roller is effective in terms of cost, a small number of components, and the like. The rotating brush roller scrapes the solid lubricant and applies the scraped lubricant to the photoconductor. However, when bristles of the rotating brush roller contact the solid lubricant and stand up, and when the bristles contact the photoconductor and stand up, scraped powder of the solid lubricant adhered to the brush roller may scatter.
FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate a brush roller 3R and a solid lubricant 2R included in one example of a related-art image forming apparatus. The solid lubricant 2R presses against the brush roller 3R. Rotation of the brush roller 3R scrapes the solid lubricant 2R into a powdery lubricant, and the powdery lubricant is applied to a photoconductor 1R. As illustrated in FIG. 2, when the rotating brush roller 3R contacts the solid lubricant 2R, bristles of the brush roller 3R fall down or are bent, and after the brush roller 3R contacts the solid lubricant 2R, the fallen bristles stand up. Restitution force of the bristles of the brush roller 3R causes the lubricant adhered to the bristles to scatter and adhere to a vicinity of the brush roller 3R inside the image forming apparatus. Similarly, when the rotating brush roller 3R contacts the photoconductor 1R, bristles of the brush roller 3R fall down or are bent, and after the brush roller 3R contacts the photoconductor 1R, the fallen bristles stand up. Restitution force of the bristles of the brush roller 3R causes the lubricant adhered to the bristles to scatter and adhere to another vicinity of the brush roller 3R inside the image forming apparatus.